Learning with Lori

In one week I will finally get to meet f2f some very important people who have been  a big part of my PLN for over a year at NECC 2008 in San Antonio. I am so excited!

First of all there are the four members of the DEN in SL™ Leadership Council that I have never met in person that I can’t wait to meet. They are like family to me now.   We  have chatted, twittered, skyped, texted, Im’d, emailed, collaborated, explored, learned together, laughed, trusted, supported and respected each other for over a year now. Along with these four, are two others who I do know in person and who have been part of my PLN for many years. Together we will be presenting at NECC how to successfully create a PLN  using Second Life, the DEN and other Web 2.0 tools. I am proud to be part of this group.

Over a year ago I was introduced to Second Life, a virtual online world.  I took the plunge and created an avatar, stumbled around with a torch in my hand on orientation island, and was offered a TP to Eduisland II and then to the ISTE building. I was introduced to several educator avatars and within a week I volunteered to be part of the DEN in SL Leadership Council that was just starting out. As I had been a DEN member for years, I knew the adventure would be rewarding. And it has been a hundred times better than what I could have even dreamed.

There were several educators from IL already in SL who took me under their wing last year. JM took me shopping for hair and clothes and how to find freebies.  Ex took me on his bubble taxi and taught me how to use the movement and camera controls.  I met new friends like Macsmom who took me on tours and Kristy  who taught me about scripting. There were chats at the DEN house, ISTE socials and  many evenings at the Blogger’s Cafe as well as adventures with a Logo bee, hang gliding, surfing, riding a unicorn, meeting and sharing with so many wonderful educator avatars and so much more.  I helped plan the Eduisland Ed fair,  and almost a hundred other events for other educators at the DEN in RL and SL. I  learned so much throughout this journey creating a huge PLN along the way.  Then I added in twitter, blogs, ustreams, and nings. And so the PLN grows and grows. But it all started with the DEN LC; Riptide, Laelia, Beth, Celestia, JM and Geekie, along with Demb Oh and all the DEN STARS, DEN Guides and DEN members in RL and SL!

NECC  2008 begins a new journey. So many f2f meetings, so many new conversations. Besides meeting my LC family, there will be SL friends, twitter friends, and reuniting with other educators I’ve met previously at conferences over the years.  I’m excited knowing that my PLN will be strengthened.

Come hear more about our PLN story on Monday, July 1 at 8:30 AM at HGCC 211.

My Avatar is ready for Texas and so am I!

I hope to meet so many others who also are a valuable part of my PLN. If not this year, maybe at the DEN Leadership Institute in July or some other day in the future.

I like baseball and spring training I love the idea of team sports. I have many fond memories of attending Cubs and Sox games with my parents and then with my children. We even attended a World Series Sox game a few years ago. My sons played little league from the time they were 5 years old through high school and we always attended their games.

Team sports help develop collaborate skills and communication skills My PLN is like being on a team sport, working together, sharing, learning so that we can coach our students and colleagues.

A little competition amongst us from time to time is fun. The DEN in SL leadership council is ready for the challenge. You see we are separate from the regions in this Spring training star recruitment- not part of any pennant race, but you wait and see - we will be recruiting to our DEN in SL All Star team anyway.

So if you apply to be a STAR during this recruitment period and also join the DEN in SL or are already in SL but not a STAR, let me or one of the DEN in SL leadership council know you’ve applied. You can be part of our All Star team as well as your region’s team. We just need to know your SL name and your RL name.

Join us in SL. Be a part of our team. Get your SL uniform and hats and other gear!

I’m Lor Fredriksson in SL. I’d love for you join my All Star team.

I’ve spent the last week exploring and learning about Diigo. Diigo is a social bookmarking tool. Finally learned the correct pronunciation, long e sound as if spelled deego. What’s amazed me the most is how my PLN of educators is selfless in offering help and sharing. The suggestions for using Diigo are so interesting. And today, on a Sunday morning, a presentation was set up by Lisa Parisi with the developers of Diigo and others who have been using it. At one time there were about 40 people in the session. There are things I really like about Diigio and other’s I’m still not sure about. I don’t see me using it with students yet, not even sure my teachers will embrace it. But as I learn more about the powers of Diigo I will share and use it with my PLN. Warning - there are lots of emails when you start adding contacts. I’m glad I didn’t use my regular school email to register for Diigo.

I am amazed at what I learn from my PLN. I could spend the whole day just learning from all of you! Unfortunately I have to walk away from twitter and SL sometimes and I’m sad if I missed a chance to view a ustream live so I can interact with everyone. The backchannel is another avenue for learning. Of course I can go back and watch the ustream later, but it’s not the same. I am behind on reading many blogs, but do keep up on the DEN blogs. As the DEN is a big part of my PLN, both in SL and RL. I just can’t seem to catch up on all the other blogs I have in my reader. I so appreciate everyone’s incites and ideas, and I try to comment when appropriate. I especially enjoy blogs that share practical applications I can use, projects I can share, best practices and tricks of the trade. Everyday my PLN expands, but there’s that core group I know I can count on when I need help. So thank you PLN, for helping me grow to be a better person, educator and learner. I hope that as I find my voice on this blog, I will be able to share more with my DEN PLN. As I told someone just tonight, I find conversation so much easier, twitter , IM and SL than creating a blog post or reflections and ideas. I will try to find my niche as a blogger. Taking some baby steps here.

    The fruit of my labor for the past year will begin next week. I am program chair for the Illinois Technology Conference for Educators. This is the big IL technology conference sponsored by ICE, the Illinois affiliate for ISTE. I’m excited that the conference is finally here. I’m confident that the presenters that the committee has chosen will be great.  I always worry, but shouldn’t, that I didn’t place the sessions at the right time or right room.  There will be lots of choices if a room is at capacity.  Sometimes, you just never know which session will be standing room only and which rooms, won’t have many attendees.  Registration is still open at http://www.iceberg.org and this year we have a Ning so that there can be follow up discussions at http://myiltce.ning.com and we have a twitter account called iceconference.

Discovery will be well represented. Many STARS will be presenting workshops, general sessions or at the Discovery Education booth.  Even I said I would present DEN in SL at the booth Wednesday, Feb 27th around 4:00  PM CST and Friday, Feb 29th 1:30 PM CST.

I’m looking forward to meeting in RL my virtual network from SL and twitter.

I am an Information Specialist at a 5-6 school in IL. I am active in the organization Illinois Computing Educators (ICE) and the local chapter Northern IL Computing Educators (NICE). I am Program Chair for the IL conference sponsored by ICE, previously called IL-TCE and I am on the DEN in SL Leadership Council. In SL I am Lor Fredriksson.